1277 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Clang. I moved my body back and forth to feel the weight of the armor enveloping me. Strangely, the sensation of the metal against my skin felt natural, as if I were simply wearing comfortable clothes. "Heh." What's this? It's so fascinating. It's really transformed into armor, huh? I cautiously extended my hand. Whoosh! Wind brushed past my swiftly outstretched arm. ‘Hmm.’ I widened my eyes slightly. Despite swinging with the same strength, it felt as if the speed and force were increased. The issue was... ‘I'm expending my energy.’ It seemed that enhancing my strength was a feature of this mysterious artifact, so using its power was depleting my energy. The amount wasn't significant, but... ‘It's not negligible either.’ For me right now, it felt a bit burdensome to use. "King of Darkness, have you ever seen something like this before?" "It's a sight I've never seen." The King of Darkness looked at me with a composed gaze, showing no particular surprise. It seemed that he hadn't witnessed Paejon using this form before. 'But then...' The fact that it was found at the site of battle suggests... ‘In the end, Paejon must have used this.’ It served as evidence that Paejon employed this artifact in combat. For someone like him, who wouldn't typically resort to using such things, was he that desperate? ‘I don't know.’ It's ambiguous. Because... ‘Rather than relying on something like this...’ Paejon was the kind of person who would likely choose death instead. As a martial artist, he believed one should begin and end with nothing. I assumed he would find it humiliating to use something that injured his pride. "… Meanwhile, how do I exactly remove this?" I needed to unravel what was wrapped around my body, but how was I supposed to do it? As I pondered for a moment... Rustle—!!! "Oh." The armor deactivated, the metallic scales retracting back onto my arm. It returned as if nothing had happened. "Thankfully, it comes off." It didn't seem to have the stubborn persistence of some other artifacts. I undid the transformation and tucked it away. Then— Clatter. 'Hmm?' I took out an object I had momentarily forgotten. Ah, this one. "This is the item given to me by my grandmother." In the previous world, Mi Hyoran had given it to me, but in this life, it was a bead that my grandmother gave. bWpnL1VNWWVlR0h2N0IyVWd5ZUJTK2Z6eHAwTmltczFZL3ZlRWNkdmFuQk96eElESXhLVThtZ2pZaTZHVCtTbw This is likely... the bead that summons the family head. I wasn’t certain about its precise effect, but having witnessed how the artifact given by Mi Hyoran had summoned my father... ‘It brings forth someone who possesses another bead.’ If not that... ‘It could summon the head of the Gu family.’ Although the conditions weren't clear, the effect was undeniable. It was a helpful item, but... ‘Will there be a time to use it?’ If I were to use this, should it result in the current head of the Gu family, my grandfather, appearing, I wondered how many situations would necessitate its use. Thus, making sure that there wouldn’t be a need to use it was more crucial. If a situation arose where this had to be used... ‘It would be an incredibly dire situation.’ One where I couldn't resolve matters myself, requiring the assistance of something else. It would be an unforeseen crisis that I couldn’t even begin to imagine. “...Hmm.” Therefore, avoiding such circumstances came first. I put the bead away and turned my thoughts to the armor. ‘How to address the strange parts.’ The energy is one thing, but what does this continual expulsion signify? It raised my curiosity. ‘There's something.’ This isn't just a random occurrence. There must be a reason. Perhaps... ‘Did Paejon do this on purpose?’ The energy of the armor... Was it intentionally left by Paejon? Maybe it was meant to convey something. If so... "King of Darkness." "What is it?" "Could you send me back to the farthest place we went before?" "…?" His brow furrowed. His face questioned why I needed to return there. "Please, I'm requesting this of you." For me, it was a reasoned action. * * * Hush—!! As the black veil lifted, I reached the plains where I had come earlier. It was the location the King of Darkness had mentioned. Once there, I surveyed the surroundings. ‘This should suffice.’ Considering I had come all this way, I thought this distant enough. ‘A place where I can manage any problems that arise.’ Though meant for use later, employing the distance now shouldn’t pose any issue. ‘Now, then.’ After briefly scanning my surroundings, I held out the armor. I prevented the energy from escaping, enclosing it tightly. I gazed at the woven threads of magic. It was enveloped because ordinary energy barriers wouldn’t hold. Gravely, I began unraveling it. Slowly, the threads came undone. Hush—!! The restrained energy of Paejon started dispersing into the air. ‘Hmm.’ At first, I didn't notice, but... ‘It seems to be growing stronger.’ The unleashing was significant... was it so powerful from the start? Just as the thought crossed my mind... Swoosh—!!! "What?" The energy burst out with formidable force. Was this immense power hidden in the armor? I was taken back. ‘I must seal it again.’ Such an outpouring was not a trivial matter. As I urgently tried to reapply the magic sealing... Crackle—!!! Suddenly, something emerged in the air. The King of Darkness moved. Instantly, a black aura surrounded me, a display of his power. Swoosh! He pulled at my shoulder. “Something is coming.” He tried to pull me away in haste, yet— “That's not going to happen.” Boom—!!!! With a resonating voice, something descended from the sky. Crash—!!! An immense impact pushed me back. The shockwave wreaked havoc on the plains. I grimaced as debris rained down, quickly gathering energy to shield myself. Boom—!!! Emitting energy from my body, I blocked the onslaught clashing into me. Meanwhile, I directed my gaze downward. The energy shielding me, used by the King of Darkness, scattered too. 'What is this?' The overwhelming energy caused me to freeze slightly. Unexpectedly, the King of Darkness attempted to envelop me again, but... “Your grasp is quite slow.” Boom—!! Once more, the wind began to howl. Much like the gale of a typhoon, it pushed back against the King of Darkness's powers. 'Ha.' This was no ordinary wind. I could tell immediately. To overpower his power like that? 'It's as if...' It felt like a predator. I squinted and looked ahead. "How disappointing. I thought this chase would last much longer." The voice wasn’t coming from the front. It echoed in the air. I looked up, and there was... "…!" A giant old man, his clothes flapping in the wind, hovered there. It was a familiar face. Adorned with a single massive bull's horn, he appeared as though he stood upon the very air itself. "…Cheolhyeol Buseon?" He was the strongest martial artist of this false world, referred to in this lifetime as the last greatest martial artist. In a world where there were three venerable, there had been none greater. "Haha, look who it is." The world's top martial artist turned apostle. He smiled at me, a wicked tilt on his lips. "You’re alive, young one." "…." "I wondered who took that bastard's bait and vanished with it… As it turns out... it was you." "Bait?" Could it be... was he talking about the armor? The armor that emanated energy—was it the bait he spoke of? "Did you take it without knowing?" His expression grew peculiar, seemingly disappointed by my reaction. "I thought you knew while you hid its power..." "…." His words confirmed my suspicions. 'The erratic energy emission... was intentional after all.' Though it wasn't something Paejon had intended, what mattered was that my guess was half right. "It's a face worth seeing. I like it. I’m glad I took action." Cheolhyeol Buseon let out a low chuckle. Meanwhile, I focused on his arms. 'He's missing his left one.' The way his sleeve flapped, it seemed his left arm had been torn off somewhere. Noticing my gaze, he grinned. "It was your master's doing. Isn’t it a sight to behold?" So, he lost it in a fight against Paejon. "I didn't expect him to have so many tricks up his sleeve. That, in fact, made me like him even more." "…What have you done?" I asked, grimacing. "What do you mean, what have I done? I simply indulged myself." "Indulged... is that what you call becoming an apostle?" "That's merely a side effect. I had no particular intention of becoming what I am... but circumstances on this side have their nuances." Circumstances, he says. "Enough with the nonsense." My temper flared. "Let me ask you one thing." Formality was out the window. Be he the greatest or the least, now wasn’t the time for pleasantries. "Who won?" "What?" Cheolhyeol Buseon's eyes widened at my question. "Between you and Paejon. Who came out on top?" "Hahahaha." He burst out in loud laughter. "Is that what’s important right now?" "Is there anything more important?" "Ahahahaha. Like master, like apprentice. You aren't right in the head either, huh?" "Shut up and just answer." I started to strengthen my stance. Amidst all this, he said, "Young one, do you know who you’re talking to right now?" A breeze began to swirl around Cheolhyeol Buseon's body. "I am the greatest martial artist." Whoosh—!! The vortex started to form slowly. "As long as I can still call myself that, it means I have not been defeated by anyone." "…." So, Paejon lost. Upon hearing those words, laughter welled up from deep within me. "Hah, haha…." "What amuses you?" Cheolhyeol Buseon looked at me quizzically, but I realized something from his reaction. "Understanding clearly now." That fight... "You lost, didn't you?” It seemed Paejon had indeed won.